A project, sanctioned in 2013 to create a shunting yard for the city railway station and scheduled to be completed by 2015, is progressing at a snail’s pace. The South Western Railway completed a land swap with the BBMP to gain 3.3 acres for a shunting yard.
The design of a road underbridge at Binny Mills land has been undergoing design changes multiple times. The road underbridge, which was initially planned as a reinforced concrete cement (RCC) box, has now been stalled because of issues with shifting of utility lines thus delaying the entire project.
“Proposal was there to construct RUB for which it was initially proposed to construct RCC box, in which lot of service such as cable, water supply pipeline has to be diverted which is Herculean task. Hence the schedule for RUB has been modified,” (sic)reply to a RTI query states.
“In an earlier RTI filed in 2015, the Railways officials had said work had started in May 2014 and that the total cost was Rs 3.83 crore. They had said work would be completed by April 2015 but that has not happened,” said Krishnaprasad, a retired central government employee, who received the RTI reply.
The project is important for the Bengaluru division as it will help the station shunt trains with more efficiency. “Currently, we are shunting trains at the front of the city railway station which will be moved to the back part once this is complete. At present, trains reaching the station from the direction of Cantonment station get stopped,” said Divisional Railway Manager Sanjiv Agarwal.
The official attributed the delay to the RUB as well and said the bridge had gone through several design changes which was leading to the delay. “We will complete this project by this year,” he said.
However, experts are confused as to why the Railways would delay a project which helps their own cause. “When a project has been sanctioned and money is provided, if you don’t complete it on time, it will only escalate problems. They are not helping anyone with the delay,” said Prakash Mandoth, Chairman of the Tourism Committee for the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
He further said that there was an urgent need for another 100 trains for the city besides linking of the three major grids — Tumakuru, Chennai and Mysuru.
